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Two-Alarm Fire Destroys 123 Grow Child Center Building in Gardner

Officials are investigating the origin of the blaze that gutted the vacant facility.

Overview

  • Firefighters responded around 4:45 a.m. to the West Broadway site and quickly struck a second alarm as flames spread through the attic.
  • The roof collapsed and the truss-built structure was declared a total loss by Fire Chief Gregory Lagoy.
  • The building was vacant, no injuries were reported, and several firefighters slipped on ice without requiring hospital care.
  • Crews battled the blaze for more than five hours in roughly -11 degree temperatures and nearly two feet of snow that froze hose lines and hampered equipment.
  • State police fire investigators, working with the State Fire Marshal’s Office and local departments, are probing the cause, and parents were directed to another 123 Grow location.